The Silent Guardian
by TheDarkKunoichi
Summary: She stared silently in the mirror, normally stoic blue eyes uncharacteristically wide with shock and disbelief. She hurriedly backed away, watching as the reflection of the very familiar blonde-haired woman did so as well. She had always considered herself a levelheaded and very adaptable person, but then again, she had never considered being reborn as Kiki Seiran. (Rebirth)
1. The Silent Guardian

**Summary:** **She stared silently in the mirror, normally stoic blue eyes uncharacteristically wide with shock and disbelief. She hurriedly backed away, watching as the reflection of the very familiar blonde-haired woman did so as well. She had always considered herself a levelheaded and very adaptable person, but then again, she had never considered being reborn as Kiki Seiran. (Rebirth)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Akagami no Shirayukihime. If I did, ObixShirayuki would have already happened.**

 **oOo**

 **The Silent Guardian**

 **oOo**

Blinking in shock and disbelief, the girl stared silently at the bathroom mirror, blue eyes uncharacteristically wide. She slowly reached out a hand and pulled at a lock of blonde hair, marveling at the color, but was highly confused since she didn't have blonde hair last time she checked. Her body is also now more slender and fit, a far cry from her rather plain appearance in the past.

She had thought that waking up to a majestic room and not her old creaky bedroom was the strangest thing that ever happened to her. Looking in the mirror now, it was clear that she was wrong, because _this isn't her body._

Judging by its very familiar appearance and the fact that she had found a set of equally familiar clothes and a sword back in the bedroom, there is really no mistaking that this body belongs to someone she had previously thought was just a work of fiction.

The body of the swordswoman and one of the closest aides of Prince Zen Wisteria, Kiki Seiran.

She backed away from the mirror, watching as the reflection of the woman did so as well. There is no denying it; this is real indeed.

She leaned against the wall heavily, suddenly feeling too weak on the knees; she had always considered herself a very levelheaded and adaptable person, but this is just pushing things too far. Her mind quickly scrambled for reasons and theories as to why and how this could even be happening.

Dreams came as the number one possibility. Perhaps this was just a dream; after all, she's had quite a few of those adventurous dreams, though this is the first time it was set in an anime. The second was reincarnation, which she originally thought is downright impossible.

However, if it is true, then that just means she had _died,_ a fact she had a hard time believing. The last thing she remembered was sleeping in her room. Did she die in her sleep? If so, how? She never had any fatal diseases. Perhaps, a heart attack?

She pinched herself hard, and was resigned when she felt a sharp throb from that part of her skin. Not a dream, then. That means the second theory was what happened to her, unless there are other possibilities out there which she forgot to consider.

One thing is clear though. Whatever happened to her, _whoever_ had done this to her, they knew what they were doing. Kiki Seiran was a master swordswoman, so it doesn't seem like a coincidence that the person who replaced her is a long-time practitioner of the Japanese sport Kendo, and is a skilled swordswoman herself.

' _Though fighting with swords is probably significantly different here',_ she mused as she went back to her bedroom, _'From what she knew of the anime, they don't treat it here as a sport; sword fighting is a necessary survival skill in this world.'_

Unless Kiki has a certain style, she was confident she could hold her own for a while until she relearns everything again from scratch. The problem was her own life. She doesn't know much about Kiki's past except that she's a nobleman's daughter and the heir of the Seiran family. She is also one of Prince Zen's closest aides alongside Mitsuhide Louen and typically has a stoic and serious personality. That pretty much sums up everything she knew about the woman.

While she has no doubt that she could act as close as she could to Kiki's original personality and could probably handle the sword as best as she could, there is still a far bigger problem.

She silently sat at the edge of Kiki's bed, feeling too stunned to move. How could she do this? Her knowledge of the kingdom of Clarines, the Wistal Castle, and the people currently living here is beyond limited, and even if she could figure it out, everyone will surely notice that she changed one way or another.

… Should she just tell everyone about what happened?

She inwardly scoffed, ' _and get treated like she was insane? No thank you.'_

Should she just tell the Prince and Mitsuhide?

She paused and considered the thought; while the idea sounds more than tempting, something is telling her that it's probably not the wisest thing to do. Besides, she can't disregard the possibility that everything could be different here. She might not even be one of the Prince's closest aides and friend. She could be in another position entirely. It's just too much to risk.

Far too caught up in her conflicted thoughts, the knock on the door should have barely registered in her mind. Though it seems Kiki's body has keen senses, because she was suddenly up and moving towards the door before she was even aware of what was happening, just as the person behind it finished the second knock.

 _Well-honed reflexes and senses? How interesting._

"Kiki?" Her hand abruptly froze on the knob, "Are you okay? You weren't in Zen's office as per your usual schedule and it's already close to noon."

'Kiki' barely heard it, frozen as she was the moment that concerned voice called out to her. She didn't need to see him to recognize that it was Mitsuhide, 'Kiki's friend.

Another knock jolted her out of her thoughts once again, "Kiki?" Mitsuhide called again, "are you in there?"

She hurriedly looked around the room for a robe to cover her nightclothes with and, clearing her throat and hoping that Kiki's voice didn't change, she opened the door.

"Gomen, Mitsuhide." She started, and was more than surprised to hear that the voice that came out certainly did not belong to her and that she could speak in fluent Japanese (or probably the language of this world.) "I am not feeling well earlier. Please relay my apologies to Zen."

The blue-haired man standing before her (and wasn't that color odd?) only blinked in surprise before gazing at her worriedly. "I think that's the first time you admitted that you don't feel well. And you look extremely pale. It must be pretty bad then."

Kiki inwardly cursed; first conversation and already, she screwed it up. "Yes," she said, hoping to salvage the conversation. "Though I'll probably feel better later, so I'll see you then."

She started to close the door, but Mitsuhide's sudden cry of 'wait!' made her pause. "You don't have to push yourself." He told her sincerely. "You can rest, I am sure Zen will understand. I'll call the healers too, if you'd like."

She pursed her lips as she stared at him, adopting Kiki's usual calm expression. Well, she could use the time. But then how would she get used to palace life if she continued to hide in her room? "There's no need, I feel better already." She told him. "Go, I'll meet you both later."

Smiling and nodding to say that he understood, Mitsuhide bade her farewell before finally leaving. Kiki closed the door quietly before sighing in relief. Too close. Though it seems like Mitsuhide didn't notice anything wrong, so that's good at least.

Finally deciding to start the day, Kiki proceeded to bathe and dress herself. It took her several minutes at most to figure out how to put on those strange clothes, and another half hour to have a feel of Kiki's– _her_ sword.

Falling into the most basic of stances, Kiki gave the sword a practice swing. To her surprise, it felt extremely comfortable in her hand, unlike those awkward wooden practice swords she originally used in Kendo. A satisfied smile formed in her face, and she proceeded to do the katas that had been burned into her mind since she was very little; slowly getting used to the weight and sharpness of the sword.

It was only when the sun shone directly in her face did she realize that it was already past noon. Sheathing her sword, she proceeded to leave the privacy of her rooms to face the world beyond.

 **oOo**

Wandering for several minutes, she finally realized that she was well and utterly lost. The castle was so majestic and huge; it took all of her restraint not to let her eyes wander and gape. It would be completely uncharacteristic for her, who has probably been staying here in the castle long enough not to be awed by it anymore.

Thankfully, everyone she passed didn't pay any attention to her and just minded their own businesses, probably assuming that she has a task that was keeping her from being by Prince Zen's side. She didn't dare stop in the middle of the hallways, choosing instead to continue wandering around until she finally found the Prince's rooms.

To the best of her knowledge, she once read that Prince Zen and the rest of the royal family have their rooms and offices in the innermost part of the castle for better protection, so she did her best to stay away from the courtyards and gardens that suggested she was near outside.

However, wasn't his office located directly near a garden as it was shown in the anime? She almost paused at this, before forcing herself to walk again. Both information suggests her knowledge of the castle is unreliable, so it is probably for the best that she ignore it and just keep walking on to find it herself. It was harder than she thought though, but she forced herself not to ask anyone for fear of being thought of as strange.

Though it seemed someone has finally taken pity on her, or it was probably just coincidence, since obliviously walking right in front of her was Mitsuhide himself.

She thought better of calling out to him, since that doesn't seem like a 'Kiki' thing to do, so she instead just silently sped up to walk by his side.

She watched as Mitsuhide turned his head to look at her in surprise, eyes wide. "Oh Kiki! I was just about to get you. Zen was worried because you were gone for almost half the day."

"I'm here now." She told him.

He searched her face worriedly, "Are you really okay? You still look pale."

"I'm fine."

He nodded slowly, reluctantly accepting her words. "We should probably head back now."

She only followed silently, fists clenched at the realization that she was about to meet the Prince himself. While not an avid anime fan, she had taken a liking to Akagami no Shirayukihime. She had finished watching the anime, completed the manga, and even memorized the songs. To meet one of the main protagonists now… it would be surreal.

She let Mitsuhide lead the way for obvious reasons, and it seemed that he noticed this because he had glanced at her oddly a few times. Ignoring him, she just did her best to memorize the route, knowing that she would do this every day for probably the rest of her life.

At last, they reached it, and steeling herself for the final time, she pushed the doors open.

The first sight that greeted her was the Prince bowed over his desk signing a stack of papers, the sheer brightness of his albino-like white hair making her blink in surprise. At their entrance, the Prince lifted his head and regarded her curiously.

She immediately stood straighter, "I apologize for failing to show up earlier today, Zen-denka." She told him. The formal words felt strange in her tongue, but it felt like something Kiki would say.

Prince Zen only continued to stare at her. Looking directly into his eyes, Kiki immediately caught a flicker of something behind them, which she soon realized was concern.

"Mitsuhide told me what happened," He told her. "Are you alright now?"

"Hai."

His eyes abruptly softened, "Don't push yourself, Kiki." He said. "Especially with what happened yesterday."

She felt her body involuntarily stiffen in surprise, and she quickly tried to figure out what exactly happened yesterday. It was no use wondering though, since she didn't even know the year or what part of the events in the story she landed in the first place.

Both men seemed to have noticed her abrupt silence, since they shifted uncomfortably. "It's alright," Zen tried to appease her. "The situation has been taken care of."

Now she was even more confused. _What situation?_

Her expression must have looked pretty bad, because both men visibly sweated.

She was torn on what to do. Should she act as if she knew what happened until it backfired on her completely or admit that she doesn't? Both probably wouldn't appreciate being lied at; not that she had any obligation to tell them anything. They are _Kiki's_ friends, not hers.

To her dismay, her mouth said the complete opposite, "I'm sorry, but what are you talking about? What situation?"

They both stared at her blankly. She stared right back.

"You're kidding?" Zen said after a while.

"Kiki, are you sure you're okay?" Mitsuhide asked again.

She pursed her lips, thinking about the consequences and finally decided on telling only the partial truth. She knows they'll do their best to help her, and who was she to deny that help? "I don't think so." She said as honestly as she could. "Truth be told, I don't remember anything that happened yesterday." _And my whole life before that._

Instead of gaping comically like she expected they would, (after all, who would believe that outrageous lie?) she was surprised when both looked very shaken. "You… wha– _really_?" Zen sat back in disbelief.

Mitsuhide looked like he was about to approach her but restrained himself. "Can I ask what you _do_ remember?"

It seems they both trust Kiki so much that they immediately think everything that she says is the truth. She felt a stab of guilt at that, but did her best to ignore it.

She frowned as if lost in thought, but inwardly she was trying her best to salvage the situation. Should she tell them everything or continue with her partial lie? "I… I'm sorry." She finally decided, shaking her head. "I don't remember anything I've done since I started to work here. I only remember your names, and my position. Quite frankly, I was lost in the castle before Mitsuhide found me."

They were both frozen in shock, and Kiki half-expected them to run away from her completely, probably to call the mental hospital (if they actually had those here.)

"T-That was why you were walking behind me the entire time instead of beside me like we always do." Mitsuhide whispered, the pieces finally connecting.

"Seriously?" Zen still looked like he was in shock. "What brought this on? Do you know?"

She was hoping he would inform her about the events yesterday but only shook her head in the negative.

"Come on, we'll get you checked up in the medical wing. The court herbalists has got to know what happened that would make you lose your memory like this." Zen stood up determinedly and began stalking out of the room, Mitsuhide and Kiki herself automatically following a step behind him.

Truth be told, Kiki honestly didn't think herbalists could find a reason behind this, (except if it was Shirayuki. That girl tended to think outside the box) but there was no arguing with Zen. To her surprise (not), they didn't find any reason at all. They claimed that Kiki's both mentally and physically fine, except for the glaring hole in her memory. They promised they'll try to do something about it though (which Kiki highly doubted they could.) However, the moment they tried to file the report, Kiki quietly requested that they don't record their findings.

To answer their questioning gazes, she claimed that the moment anyone found out what happened, her time as the Prince's aide would be over. After all, no one would trust an amnesiac to be an aide for the beloved Second Prince of Clarines.

Immediately after hearing that, both Zen and Mitsuhide agreed. The Prince then told the court herbalists to keep this to themselves, which they gladly did so with a bow, before Zen stalked out once more to go back to the privacy of his office.

Once inside, Zen whirled around and Kiki was shocked to see the wide array of emotions on his face. "Since no one could know about this, we will be the ones to teach you everything again."

"Don't hesitate to ask, Kiki." Mitsuhide told her determinedly. "We'll help you no matter what."

The two men watched as the normally stoic woman's eyes suddenly went wide. She clenched her fists and bowed her head, and Mitsuhide hurriedly went to her side. To their extreme shock, Kiki's cheeks are now suddenly trailing with silent tears.

That immediately erased any remaining suspicions they have about the situation.

"K _-Kiki!"_ They both exclaimed in astonishment.

"Gomen _…"_ She tried saying with a clear voice but failed miserably. Kiki _never_ cried, yet why is she doing this? They will surely know that something is terribly wrong with her. But she can't help it, all the events in the past few hours had suddenly caught up to her the moment they said those words.

She had originally planned to do everything by herself, but here they are now offering to help her through this. And to think she had tried concealing the truth from them… she knew now that that would have been a mistake.

However, this realization still doesn't change the fact that she had lost her whole family and friends the moment she woke up in this world. The thought brought fresh tears to her eyes. She had lost her whole life. And now she had to live in a new one and pretend that she's someone else entirely. It's no wonder she finally broke down.

 _But now…_ she looked up to see both Mitsuhide and Zen's faces clouded with worry and a slight hint of panic. It was strange to see two complete strangers this worried about her, but she knew that it was because they thought she was Kiki. Once again, she felt that faint stab of guilt.

She hopes they will eventually accept this new side of her (as she was bound to show a few changes soon) and sent a silent apology to the real Kiki for inadvertently replacing her, hoping she was well. She was still determined that they need not know the whole truth, but she resolved to be as honest as she can from now on. It's the least she could do for the help they will give her.

"It's okay to cry, Kiki." Mitsuhide's soothing voice suddenly cut through her thoughts. "It's only natural to feel like this after losing something as big as that. Frankly, I don't even know how you managed to last as long as you did. I would have panicked the moment I found out."

"K-Kiki…" Zen still looked shaken at the sight of her crying face. "Don't worry; we'll help you get through this." He said determinedly.

Her eyes widened. She felt oddly touched by their endless concern, but only nodded in the outside. She slowly reached up to wipe off her tears but was cut off by a handkerchief in her face. Mitsuhide was holding it out to her, smiling encouragingly. Thankful, she was about to take it, but changed her mind at the last second, bringing out her own handkerchief. The action caused Mitsuhide to unexpectedly laugh instead of becoming annoyed like she expected him to. Zen also seemed to catch the joke and laughed as well.

"Whatever happens, memory or no, you are still Kiki who doesn't like to accept help from anyone." Mitsuhide was still laughing, but it now sounded slightly hysterical with relief.

"Thank goodness." Zen said in amusement. Kiki had to admit it was funny too.

"So do you want to begin now, or do you want to rest first?" Mitsuhide asked her after he had calmed down. She immediately shook her head at the second option. She had had enough of rest. She has to learn quickly in order to act accordingly in this world. The moment she has learned everything again, then she will begin to start planning what will happen in the future. Especially with the impending arrivals of Shirayuki and Obi.

"I want to begin now. I want to relearn everything as soon as possible." She replied.

Zen seemed to understand, since his face suddenly turned grave. "I see. What would you like to learn first?"

There was no hesitation; she unsheathed her sword partway through. "Let's spar."

 **oOo**

 **Japanese terms:**

 **Denka - Your Highness**

 **Kata - An individual training exercise for practitioners of martial arts**

 **Gomen - I'm sorry**

 **Hai - Yes**

* * *

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. Please oh please review or I'll become lazy at updating!**


	2. The Way of the Sword

**Thank you so much for the reviews anonymous0624, 4n9l3 A, and Lau! As promised, the next chapter. I will try my best to avoid slow-paced plots, so there will be a lot of time skipped in this chapter. I need her to be as prepared as possible for the future, so I won't bore you with the details of her time adjusting to the castle.**

 **oOo**

 **Chapter 2: The Way of the Sword**

 **oOo**

Kiki gritted her teeth and hurriedly raised the sword to deflect a blow aimed for her head. The loud _clang!_ brought by the clashing steel reverberated inside her skull, making her wince involuntarily.

On the other hand, Mitsuhide was looking uncharacteristically serious. He didn't pull his sword back. Instead, he proceeded to push against their crossed weapons, slowly putting his whole weight into it.

Knowing she couldn't win against sheer strength, she hurriedly jumped back and put some distance between them, giving herself time to recover. Mitsuhide relented, much to her relief, staring at her across the room silently with an unreadable expression on his face.

Meanwhile, watching intently from the sidelines is Prince Zen. His bright blue eyes narrowed at her form in concentration, making her feel slightly self-conscious.

Deciding she had rested enough, she quickly charged towards Mitsuhide and went for the offensive, delivering fast but hard blows to her opponent. Her tired arms shook from the effort, but she swiftly ignored it.

Unfortunately for her, Mitsuhide blocked them all as if it were nothing but bothersome flies, looking not even winded in the slightest. Tired, she began slowing down, something which Mitsuhide caught and took advantage of. He suddenly lunged forward and thrust his blade towards her stomach, which she quickly parried.

She was mainly on the defensive, and it stung that all those years practicing Kendo and she can't even lay a single scratch on the blue-haired man. She thought she could at least tire him out (she wasn't deluded into thinking she could defeat him. Mitsuhide is one of the best swordsmen in this kingdom after all.) Instead, he looked exactly like he did before the fight even started: Fresh and still full of energy.

To her extreme disappointment, her tired arms just couldn't take another second of his heavy attacks anymore and her grip on the sword became slack. Seeing this, Mitsuhide quickly took the chance and finally disarmed her.

Chest heaving and arms heavy with exhaustion, Kiki almost collapsed on her backside before deciding to retain what was left of her pride. Her unsteady legs protested very strongly though.

Seeing her – _frankly_ – pathetic state, Mitsuhide frowned deeply and glanced at Zen, who was staring at her gravely. "It seems even your skills changed as well." He began almost hesitantly, "Needless to say, you really need a _lot_ of training to return back to your original level of skill."

She knew he was just trying to soften the blow, but hearing his critique about her skill levels _hurt_. At best, her abilities with a sword could probably beat a novice swordsman or the random bandit, but not a fully-fledged knight. She had been training since she was a child, so how could she be _this_ bad?

She already knew the answer; Kendo is only a sport. It can never beat a real swordfight. Her fight today with Mitsuhide already proved that. She can tell he was only going easy on her, and that knowledge didn't help soothe her wounded pride _at all._

She turned abruptly and took her time to return the sword to its sheath. The looks of pity they were sending her only succeeded in making her feel frustrated and even more humiliated.

"Kiki…" Mitsuhide called, and she turned back to gaze at him with a carefully blank expression to hide her frustration. It didn't look like she did a good job though, since it had made the Prince wince.

However, Mitsuhide didn't give any indication that he saw. He just gazed at her with determined eyes, hands tightly gripping the hilt of his sword. She was about to turn back around after he remained silent for too long, but was abruptly cut off by his stern voice. "We will start training here beginning early tomorrow morning. Be ready."

Her eyes widened, and even the Prince stared at his close aide like he had grown an extra head. Mitsuhide brushed off their stares though, only continuing to gaze unwaveringly at her. She hasn't moved an inch, too surprised by his offer to continue teaching her even after he had seen how her skills have apparently 'diminished' to being borderline _pitiful_.

However… it didn't look like he was mocking her. He only looked determined to help.

The knowledge instantly filled her with gratitude.

" _Thank you."_

 **oOo**

Mitsuhide's promise proved true the next morning. Not that she isn't grateful, but the blue-haired man was a total _beast_ when it comes to training. It always left her whole body sore and aching afterwards, with a couple more bruises appearing later in the day.

And that became their routine.

Sometimes, the Prince watched. Sometimes, he even joins them. Those days were always the hardest, because it was where she found out that the Prince is just as skilled and ruthless as Mitsuhide. There's no denying that Mitsuhide is the most skilled among the two, but the Prince is just an endless bound of energy because of his youth. It required extreme concentration in order to keep up with him.

At the beginning, it completely confused her as to why they were practically beating 'Kiki' up every time they trained. Surely, they must still think they were fighting the 'real Kiki'. But what if they knew what really happened and was just trying to get revenge on her in the guise of training? The sheer possibilities that thought brought scared her and caused quite a lot of sleepless nights the first few weeks.

An unexpected incident involving her accidentally overhearing a conversation between them got rid of that theory though. Because she realized it was actually because they just wanted to help her 'get back to normal' as soon as possible. Not because they were afraid that people will get suspicious by her strange behavior; it was because they missed the old Kiki.

Hearing that nearly broke her heart. She knew it wasn't really her fault that this happened, but it still left her feeling extremely guilty. They missed the old Kiki, and while they thought she would come back once they helped her relearn everything, 'Kiki' knew deep down that will never happen. Not unless the real Kiki _does_ come back and she finally returns to her own world.

Thinking about that made her wonder what happened to the real Kiki. Did they switch places? Or is she – god forbid – _dead_?

Was she truly inhabiting a dead woman's body the whole time?

The mere thought nearly made her sick. To think she has been living this life as if everything is happy and normal, while the real owner of this body was most probably dead, forcibly ejected from her own body only for an impostor to take her place.

Zen and Mitsuhide might never know that the real Kiki is already long dead and they have been talking to a fake all this time, and it hurts because she knows _they don't deserve all of that grief and suffering,_ especially since _she_ is the primary cause of it.

They are both too kind to be treated this poorly by whoever sent her here. They have been nothing if not helpful to her the whole time. They taught her everything she knew, and she'll do _everything_ to repay that kindness.

 **oOo**

 _Six months later…_

The sound of endless clashing swords echoed inside the training chamber, every clash sending dim sparks in the air and causing Kiki to grin with delight and excitement.

In response, her opponent's eyes narrowed in concentration, before abruptly slashing his sword in a sideways motion in an attempt to distract her. She was not deterred, however, and hurriedly jumped back to avoid the wickedly sharp blade. He then followed with a powerful thrust towards her abdomen, which she dodged without a pause, causing him to stumble forward.

Not giving him a chance to recover from his blunder, she charged forward, months of harsh training enabling her to move past his defenses and, in a quick flash of motion, finally disarmed her opponent.

Three stunned eyes watched as the wooden sword was yanked away from his grip and began spinning uncontrollably in the air from the force before finally clattering to the ground.

Both men were staring at her now, while Kiki just stared back in astonishment. She could almost ignore her exhaustion and her breathlessness; the duel had lasted approximately fifteen minutes, a new record.

To add to her shock, the Prince suddenly burst into laughter, his hands still trembling from the abrupt wrenching of the sword from his hands. Hearing the lighthearted sound, Kiki's eyes softened and she let out a long sigh of relief.

It was the first time she ever won in a duel against one of her teachers, and the realization nearly made her laugh with delight. Her six months full of strict training has finally paid off. She knew she still had a long way to go, but this is a sign that she was doing very well.

She turned to look at her other trainer expectantly, and was quickly filled with joy at the huge smile blossoming on his face. "Congratulations Kiki!" Mitsuhide said sincerely, "A few more months and you'll be back to normal in no time."

"Have to say though," The Prince picked up the sword and turned it to reveal the slight cracks decorating its surface. "You've certainly got your strength back." He smiled warmly, "Good job Kiki."

She smiled and bowed, "Thank you for your patience. Mitsuhide. Zen."

They bowed to her as well, small smiles decorating all of their faces, before straightening up. The past several months has been a hard trial for 'Kiki'. Immediately after finding out about her supposed 'amnesia', Mitsuhide quickly took it upon himself to teach her the ways of the sword, and had been training with her every morning for three hours straight until she could barely hold her whole body upright.

He was a strict and harsh teacher, but she can't deny that his teachings are _very_ effective. She could definitely feel her skills and strength improving, something which Kendo had never done for her. She was certain if she could go back to her own world right now, she would beat every single opponent in a match and still have energy to spare.

However, in addition to training her with the sword, he also agreed to teach her horseback riding.

She could tell he had been a bit suspicious when she told him that she had forgotten how, since they all know it had been taught since a young age and she had claimed to only lose her memories _before_ she worked in the castle, but he still acquiesced. The lessons took up almost her whole afternoons, and always left her legs and back sore.

She knew it would pay off though. She couldn't count how many times the characters rode on a horse in the anime. It's better to learn now than revealing later on that she 'forgot' how.

However, her trainings are not only over sword fighting and horseback riding, since Zen also took it upon himself to teach her the ways of the court, every nook and cranny of the castle, all the names of the most important people, and pretty much everything else after learning that she truly ' _forgot'_ everything. To cut a long story short, in the past several months, her only schedule involved exhausting herself in training in the mornings, horseback riding lessons in the afternoons, and reading herself to sleep about everything the Prince thought she needed to know in the evenings. The cycle would then repeat all over again the next day.

As expected, not everything is all sunshine and daisies. She had a few bad moments too, most notably some strange mannerisms and attitudes that started showing itself despite her best efforts to stay in character.

However, to cut her some slack, acting all day long was terribly _exhausting_. She was certain she'll finally get a hang of it in a year or two, but right now she can't help the slight slip-ups. It wasn't her fault that she sometimes accidentally uses slang words instead of their formal forms whenever she's feeling particularly tired to keep the facade up. Or whenever she shows too much emotion than what was appropriate.

During the most difficult days, she sometimes ended up wishing she was reincarnated as Mitsuhide instead. That way, she can show emotions more freely, as he was prone to do. However, the mere thought that the real Kiki would be there, and probably guess what really happened just by looking at her, made her quickly think otherwise.

Thankfully, Zen and Mitsuhide only associated her strange behavior with her sudden amnesia and never questioned her too much on it, though they had been understandably confused and suspicious. She knew it would only be a matter of time before they found out the truth, (after all, she can't always use her 'amnesia' as an excuse for everything) but that doesn't mean they have to find out _now_.

If they ever find out the truth, well… she'll cross that bridge when she gets there.

Outside of training and constant acting though, she always makes sure she finds the time to accustom herself to life inside the castle, interacting with the people in it and even exploring by herself to test what she learned in Zen's lessons. It was then she found out that almost every guard has a crush on 'Kiki,' presumably due to her coolness and skill. She almost laughed when she found out… _if only they knew._

It was also during these explorations that she found herself going to the pharmacy one day, extremely curious about the fate of the other main character. The last time she visited here, she found no trace of a girl with unusual red hair, so she was understandably bewildered and curious.

Arriving there under the guise of getting medicine for a headache, Kiki asked an assistant if the child court herbalist, Ryuu, has ever had an assistant for himself. To her disappointment, the assistant informed her that he never had one as far as he knew. And she didn't doubt that, as she was fairly sure he'll remember a girl with very rare and vibrant red hair as an assistant court herbalist. After all, no one could just _forget_ someone like Shirayuki.

While that is all well and good, this information only revealed that she had arrived before the main events of the series took place. Zen has yet to meet Shirayuki, and she hasn't cut her hair yet. The real question is, when exactly in the timeline did she arrive in?

A quick question to Mitsuhide answered that question; she is twenty years old now. Mitsuhide is twenty-three, and the Prince is nineteen. All their ages lined up with their confirmed ages in the start of the series, so that must mean a few months from now, they will visit an abandoned house and 'unexpectedly' meet with a certain eighteen-year-old red-haired girl, and the plot will finally begin.

With how busy she is, she never really had the time to think about why and how she ended up here, as well as the possible consequences. It frankly relieved her, because she doesn't want to dwell on it. She knew ignoring it is bad, but she simply doesn't have the time even if she wanted to. Training and studying took up _all_ of her time.

Though at the rate they were going, as well as Kiki's desire to learn everything as soon as possible, resulted in her finally memorizing everything in Zen's teachings and even managing to beat the Prince in a duel. She was quite proud of her accomplishments, and it seems they are too, since they finally declared that it's time she accompanied them for a simple inspection outside the castle and the capital.

"Where?" She had asked when they brought it up.

"Fort Laxdo."

She had only just managed to contain her expression before it displayed her shock for all to see. The mere mention of the place instantly made her think of the 'epidemic' that happened in the Fort, as well as the bandit fight.

It also brought her back to the time she had been studying the map of Clarines (and Tanbarun) by herself. They had obviously expected her to already know the whole kingdom of Clarines since she was born there, so she never asked them to teach her and studied it herself.

One of the first places she checked while studying the map is the Fort. Fort Laxdo is located in the northeast of Clarines, but not so far up north as Lyrias. Zen also told her about the lands under his jurisdiction and Fort Laxdo was one of them. To think that she'll go to one of the main plot's locations so soon…

She just _knew_ those horseback riding lessons would eventually pay off.

 **oOo**

 **Please review! Any questions, feel free to ask. I hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Fort Laxdo

**Thanks for the reviews dumblesmore, Chi-chan, 4n9l3 A, steph557, haruna06, and Guest! This persuaded me to write as soon as I could (which was admittedly a very long time) I'm so sorry, I've been so busy I haven't been able to update even my other stories!**

 **Hope this chapter answers some of your questions. I haven't included Shirayuki nor Obi into the story yet because that would be cliché. They'll appear soon enough though, so don't worry. Please don't hesitate to leave a review, I really want to hear your thoughts! I haven't seen a time travel story about AnS yet so I am kinda worried about your reactions.**

 **oOo**

 **Chapter 3: Fort Laxdo**

 **oOo**

The cold air is a very welcome change from the rather warm weather back in the capital. Kiki smiled when the strong frigid wind made her purple cloak and blonde hair fly wildly behind her.

She has always preferred the cold.

It was a good thing she had asked Mitsuhide early on to teach her how to ride a horse, or this situation will be more than awkward. It would be a taint to Kiki's –and now _her_ – reputation if anyone saw her riding behind another rider instead of riding on her own. Besides, the real Kiki would be _very_ disappointed with her if that did happen.

Her companions are oddly silent throughout the journey. She didn't know if this was normal or not, but it filled her with unease. She has no idea what she changed during her six-month stay in this world, so she was constantly treading on dangerous and unknown grounds.

Her hands tightened on the reins; she knows they are still uncomfortable around her. She wasn't the 'Kiki' they once knew, and they both realized that. She knows they are still wondering why she remained different. She just didn't know how to fix that problem. She can't act like Kiki forever. Sooner or later, they just have to accept that she changed.

Though that didn't stop them from talking about it whenever they thought she wasn't listening. It turns out they are blaming her 'amnesia' on the incident that happened days before. Apparently, they were trying to resolve a situation in one of the lands under Zen's jurisdiction, a place called Yurikana.

To her knowledge, it seems a huge fire started there. Raging flames swallowed whole forests in the area at an alarming speed, inadvertently taking along the villages and homes surrounding it. There had been a flood of reports and exaggerated rumors about the situation that caused panic at the castle and the tension was at an all-time high. As the only remaining monarch in the castle and also the one in charge of the land (Prince Izana is at the castle in Lyrias due to official matters, and the Dowager Queen is at the castle in the north) Zen was responsible for the safety of the residents. He, along with Mitsuhide and Kiki, organized the evacuation and relief efforts, and when that was not enough, the Prince himself helped with the effort, arriving at the scene along with soldiers and additional helpers to try and take out the fire.

In order to cover more ground at once, the three split up. While Zen and Mitsuhide led their side to safety successfully, Kiki's group wasn't so lucky and got trapped in the fiery forest. According to the witnesses, Kiki had noticed her group's plight and displayed excellent leadership skills; doing everything she could to save the citizens and thought on her feet to keep everyone alive. At one point, Kiki had even disappeared when a burning log separated her from her group, but managed to return after several precious moments.

Zen and Mitsuhide had been nearly hysterical with panic when they found out, and was repeatedly pushed back by the soldiers for attempting to enter the forest to rescue her.

At the end though, she sustained burns and had inhaled a lot of smoke, making her pass out when they finally escaped.

Ultimately, Zen and Mitsuhide suspected that it was trauma that made her 'lose her memory' like this, though they remained suspicious. Their other theory is that something happened to Kiki at the time she became separated with her group.

What puzzled them is that for the next few days since the incident, Kiki looked fine and still acted like her normal self. Zen voiced out his theory that the trauma might not have hit Kiki immediately.

She clutched her reins tightly, _'And now that I'm here, they will never know what really happened that day…'_

' _What truly caused this?' '_ Kiki' has no idea. She sometimes hopes she can speak to the original blonde-haired warrior, who had endured and gone through so much just to get replaced by a weakling like her. She was still holding out the hope that Kiki just got sent into her original body and they are both now living each other's lives. At the very least, that's a hundred times better than death.

However, recalling all that wouldn't help her current situation. Zen and Mitsuhide are both too quiet, and she has the insane urge to fill the awkward silence. She knows they won't mind, but it still felt like she was intruding sometimes. She opened her mouth to speak–

"We're almost there." Mitsuhide informed them.

Her mouth closed with a snap, thankfully unnoticed by the two.

"Oh, did you want to say something, Kiki?" _Apparently not._

She quickly wracked her brain for anything sensible to say until her eyes suddenly caught sight of the sky, "There's a storm coming." _Classic icebreaker, talk about the weather._

Both looked up at that. "You're right." The Prince said. "We left early but it's already getting dark."

"We should hurry; the last thing we want is to be stranded in a blizzard." Mitsuhide told them.

And with that, they urged their horses to go faster. They never strayed from the path, wary of the forest that is typically a bandit's territory. For the hundredth time, she wondered why the Prince doesn't have an entourage whenever he goes on an inspection. In case of an ambush, two aides cannot fully protect the Prince. Surely, Clarines have guards to spare.

For a moment, she thought of Obi, about how he managed to join the group effortlessly and practically became the third aide of the Prince. This trip would probably be less awkward if he was here. However, that did make her wonder, where _is_ he right now? Is he already at the castle, working for Lord Haruka? (Who, in her opinion, is extremely annoying but justified in his nagging for the Prince's best behavior at all times) if not, is he still running rogue then, wandering the country until hired?

Should she try to contact him, speeding up the process of his inclusion in the group? Or would that do more harm than good? She would certainly feel safer if he's here; she's still not up to the standards of the real Kiki, and would probably be a liability in a fight than an asset.

She made a mental note to think about that later.

Finally, the looming stone walls of the Fort came into view. Right on time too, as the dark clouds overhead are rolling from the north fast, making the air colder and the winds harsher. Snow is already falling, and she could clearly see the Fort preparing for the storm: barricading the windows and bringing in the guards, horses, and equipment still outside.

The Fort, unlike what she expected, does not look like a deserted building. Even from a distance the place was literally buzzing with activity. There are several soldiers that lined the top of the walls and a couple were also standing guard outside the gates. One lookout spotted them coming and quickly announced the Prince's presence. They waited as the message was passed on until the gates finally opened and another soldier, obviously the commanding officer, came out.

They waited until the man finally reached them, their postures and presences strong and commanding, as Kiki had learned they always did. Only when there is no one around did they try to loosen up.

"Your Highness." The commander bowed stiffly. "Welcome to Fort Laxdo."

"We've come for the inspection." The Prince announced without preamble, mindful of the incoming storm. The commander nodded in understanding before proceeding to lead them inside. The guards stood at attention as they passed until finally, the wooden gates behind them closed with a bang, and the Fort was then revealed in all its glory.

It certainly looked like a defense fortress. She observed as guards patrolled every corridor, lookouts kept an eye out on top of the walls, barracks are filled with resting soldiers, there are training areas further out occupied by even more soldiers… if not for the epidemic, this would've been what Shirayuki saw when she had first come into the Fort.

Zen's next statement abruptly jolted her back to reality. "You mentioned in your regular reports about the increase in bandit activity?"

"That is correct, Your Highness." The commander confirmed before leading them inside the building. "It started a few months ago, and since then, there have been a couple of skirmishes around the area; bandits suddenly appearing and stealing from the occasional caravans and attacking travelers. There are also the groups spotted wandering near the towns and houses. Fortunately, no one has attempted to attack the towns nor the Fort yet."

Zen's expression slowly became darker at the news. "Are there any civilians injured? Any casualties?" He demanded. "Why am I only informed now if this began months ago?"

"With all due respect, Prince Zen, but we can handle a few bandits." The commander informed him slowly, as if talking to a child. Kiki inwardly bristled at the obvious offense. "Besides, we thought it best to handle it on our own first instead of bothering you with such small problems. There haven't been any casualties, only mild injuries, so we don't think they are planning an attack."

"I highly suspect it won't be long." She suddenly said, and everyone glanced at her in surprise. "What's to say the bandits will be satisfied with just the caravans? They will soon get bolder and bolder, especially if they are met with no resistance." She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at the commander. "Though I don't think it's such a 'small' problem if you ended up calling us here after all." Everyone was still staring at her, and she belatedly realized that only the Prince should speak at times like these.

Her eyes widened and she almost blushed in embarrassment.

However, she knew she was right. A couple of months from now, the bandits would sell wood to the soldiers and wait until they all succumbed to the poisonous fumes it will produce once lit. They will then raid the Fort and make it their hideout, with everyone too sick to stop them.

"That's certainly a possibility." Mitsuhide agreed before the silence could become even more awkward while Zen sent her a reassuring smile before quickly sobering up.

The commander looked offended. "Kiki-dono; I assure you that we will know if such an attack occurs, but as of now, there are no signs at all. And even if there is," He turned back to Zen, "the Fort is more than prepared for it."

She bit her lip to keep from speaking again, _'do not be so sure, commander.'_

However, it seemed Zen noticed her unease, because he suddenly turned to the commander and ordered him to show them their preparations and defenses. Kiki stared after him in surprise, before letting out a small grateful smile.

"That commander is too arrogant." Mitsuhide suddenly whispered beside her. Kiki nodded in agreement. "Good call, Kiki."

 **oOo**

In spite of that though, the inspection revealed the Fort's equipment really _is_ more than enough for such an attack. The soldiers also looked like they can hold their own against a couple of bandits so that's a point in favor of the commander. However, while both Zen and Mitsuhide seemed satisfied by the results, Kiki knew weapons and skills are useless against an attack from the inside.

She has no clue how to stop that though. Should she allow it to happen? But she could not, in good conscience, allow the soldiers to fall sick, especially if she already knew how to prevent it.

They are currently on the training grounds overseeing a duel. The two soldiers had straightened in attention and bowed when they saw the Prince before continuing.

Now that she had trained under Mitsuhide for practically the whole time since she arrived here, she now noticed certain mistakes in their stances and footwork. Even the occasional overextended arm made her wince at the soreness that will cause later on. It seems the soldiers here are only fit to fight against bandits but against more skilled enemies? Not a chance.

That was when she was struck with an idea. A mischievous smile almost overcame her features but she quickly smoothed it out before anyone saw.

"Pardon me, Zen-denka." Kiki swiftly interrupted the commander's running monologue about the Fort's defenses, causing Zen to look at her in relief.

"Yes, what is it?"

She remained stoic, despite the smile that was threatening to break out on her face. "I wish to test how prepared these soldiers really are." She saw Mitsuhide sneak a grin at the corner of her eye. "By your leave, Your Highness."

"Granted." Zen's mouth betrayed a twitch, but he remained just as serious.

Nodding, she began crossing the field to enter the grounds, ignoring the commander's irritated glare. The two soldiers stopped and bowed at her approach. She knew Mitsuhide and Zen already realized that she just wanted to prove the commander wrong about his precious defenses, but that's not her only reason. She also wanted to test how far she had come during all her training, with opponents that are neither one of her teachers.

In other words, she would be killing two birds with one stone.

However, she also knew that there's a risk. If she cannot defeat two mediocre soldiers, then she's not worth to be the Prince's aide. The commander would certainly hold this over her head.

Though it doesn't look like Mitsuhide and Zen were worried about her. Instead, they both looked confident in her ability to win. Seeing that, her nervousness began to disappear and she started to stride confidently towards the two soldiers, who looked a bit intimidated at her approach.

Stopping in front of them, she began unsheathing her sword. She knew they both heard what she said back there, but she repeated it anyway. "I challenge the two of you to a match."

In response, the two soldiers drew their swords as well. Observing them, she quickly realized something; one of the soldiers seemed familiar somehow…

One soldier suddenly charged with a cry after the Prince signaled the start of the match, swinging his sword in a downwards slash. Kiki proceeded to block that before jumping out of the way of another sword swing courtesy of the second soldier. Their aggressive start to the match forced Kiki on the defensive, though she knew she can easily change the odds in her favor.

She has two choices: drag it out until the soldiers tire, assuring her of an easy victory, or end the battle now, making her victory a harder but quicker one.

However, dragging the battle out won't impress the commander at all. Knowing his arrogance, he would simply think that she's not strong enough to hold her own in a quick fight, or something along those lines. The thought instantly irritated her, so she ultimately decided to try ending the battle faster. With that thought, she suddenly switched to the offensive and began a series of blows that forced the first soldier to defend himself. To her surprise, he managed to block them all, ducking under a slash before successfully charging past her defenses. She gritted her teeth, completely determined not to lose this fight. She sidestepped and dodged his attacks, waiting for the right time until… _there_!

Pouring all her strength, Kiki quickly slashed her sword sideways, the force causing the soldier to promptly lose his grip on the hilt. His sword went flying before clattering to the ground.

"I yield." He panted. She nodded before turning to face the second one. One look and she can already tell that this would be easy. The man was positively _quaking_ in his boots, though his eyes held a determined glint.

She feinted to the right. The soldier hurried to block but instantly froze because of the blade near his throat. He gulped nervously before dropping his sword hand. "I yield."

Both Zen and Mitsuhide's proud smiles could light up the sun. The commander was practically glowering at this point, but she really couldn't bring herself to care. They all know he won't be able to defend the performance of his soldiers, especially if he said that the match was unfair since Kiki was already a seasoned soldier (which she's not.) That would imply that his soldiers can't handle themselves against stronger opponents, thus humiliating _him_ , their trainer.

In short, he's stuck.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled. Her first fight against people that are not her teachers, and she won. The first soldier was certainly tough, but the second was the complete opposite, though he certainly made up for it with his determination. However, she still can't shake the feeling that he's _very_ familiar…

It was like a lightbulb went off in her head and she turned to look at him in surprise. " _Ah_."

The second soldier blinked. "Huh?"

Kiki stared curiously at him. "What's your name?"

"Uhh… I'm Shuka, Kiki-dono…"

She inwardly smiled at the confirmation of her suspicions before another idea formed in her mind. "Would you mind if we talked later, Shuka-kun?"

He looked absolutely bewildered. "N-Not at all, Kiki-dono."

She smiled, "Thank you. I will meet you here later."

With that done, she began walking back to where they were still waiting for her. When she got there however, she found the Prince once again questioning the soldiers' skills and the Fort's defenses to the commander, who looked like he swallowed a lemon.

"Good job, Kiki." Mitsuhide told her with a proud smile, and her heart lightened in happiness.

 **oOo**

"Shuka-kun, what is your personal opinion about the Fort's defenses? And please be honest."

The soldier looked startled by her abrupt question. They are currently in the training area again, the place now devoid of any soldiers. She had excused herself to Zen and Mitsuhide who were convening in the commander's office to search for official reports and records about the bandit activity. She wondered if the commander was among the sick when the 'epidemic' took place, and that's why he never appeared in the anime. If so, she hoped he didn't give Shirayuki a hard time. He was irritating enough now as it is.

That doesn't mean she would allow the bandits to attack the Fort. While she certainly would like to see the commander eat his words, the soldiers don't deserve suffering through all that. She knew if she had any chance to help, now would be the time.

The soldier hesitated for a moment, before thankfully answering as honestly as he could. "I think they could be better."

"So you think if ever the bandits attacked the Fort, you won't be able to defend yourselves?"

"We're not that helpless, Kiki-dono." He grinned, "We can take them out. They won't be able to enter the Fort if we can help it."

She hummed in acknowledgement before glancing at him, "What are your duties?"

"Well…" He scratched the back of his head. "Since I'm still just a recruit, I'm mainly stuck on guard and lookout duty." He shrugged.

 _Bingo._ She adopted a stern expression, channeling her inner Zen whenever he acts prince-like. "We've received reports that there is an increase in bandit activity."

He nodded, "There is, ma'am."

"However, that is not the only information we have. We've also received rumors that they may attack the Fort soon. Not directly," She immediately added when the soldier opened his mouth to ask for details, "Instead, they will supposedly attack from the inside."

Shuka's eyes grew wide in shock. " _What_?"

She nodded grimly, trying hard not to wince for essentially manipulating him. She knows he's very loyal to the Fort and his companions, and using that just to accomplish her goals seem underhanded.

However, she's still protecting them, so wasn't she doing the right thing?

She tried waving away the thought for now; she has far more pressing concerns to address. "Unfortunately, the commander is too confident in the Fort's defenses, so he won't take the threat seriously. It is the job of the lookouts to inform everyone ahead of time if there is an attack coming. That is why I'm talking to you."

"H-Hai?" He said tentatively.

"We've received information from a source that the bandits are planning to sell poisonous wood to the Fort a few months from now. Once made into kindle, the fumes produced by the burning wood will cause everyone to fall sick, making it easy for the bandits to conquer the Fort."

He looked stunned at that information. "I… I– _what?!_ Seriously _?"_

She nodded solemnly, "Everything is true. His Highness commands that you avoid getting any of the wood inside. You can inform the other lookouts and soldiers but not the commander."

"B-But Kiki-dono, merchants are always selling wood to the Fort. It's how we stay warm."

She frowned at the unexpected problem, but quickly found a solution. "If you're really not sure, check by lighting it. Once someone falls sick, it's them. Since the commander won't listen, I'm leaving the job to you. Apprehend the bandits the moment they tried to sell the wood and defend the Fort. If you discover them, send word."

He needed no more prompting. "Yes ma'am!"

She smiled. "Good luck, Shuka-kun."

 **oOo**

They left the Fort early to try to evade the incoming storm. Glancing back at the Fort's walls atop her horse, Kiki hoped with all her heart that she did the right thing.

 **oOo**

 **Please leave a review!**


End file.
